I read an interesting piece on the BBC News site today. It discusses something I’d never even thought about – the fact that today, being the 29th of February – is a day that all salaried workers effectively give for ‘free’ to their employers. The thought hadn’t even ever struck my mind – that I give an extra day’s work every 4th year! I suppose that it works both ways though – those who’re paid by the hour get an extra day’s wages, too.
Speaking of Leap Years – were you aware that we also have Leap seconds too? These extra seconds are inserted periodically to keep the Coordinated Universal Time clock (UTC) in sync with the solar clock – in much the same respect as a leap year does.
There’s not been a need to insert a leap second since the 31st December 2005, when UTC-aware computers, servers and devices all over the world ticked over to 31/12/2005 23:59:60. The strange thing that’s stopped the requirement for leap seconds (for the time being, at least) is that the earth’s ever-slowing rotation has, apparently significantly lessened since the year 2000.
If the earth continues to defy logic and cease slowing, causing solar time to catch up with, and possibly overtake UTC, it will become necessary to issue negative leap seconds – taking time away from us – for the first time in history. Time travel, my friends, is possible!
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Just another comment on Leap Years.
Did you know that if a woman ask a man to marry her on Feb 29 and he refuses, he has to buy her a pair of gloves!!!!!! Bargain!!!!
Hi, I’m Three Legged Cat, I found your blog when I was starting my own and searched for other Sheffield bloggers. I’ve been lurking around, following your blog for a while (which could be considered weird, since I’m a total stranger, but I’ll worry about that later).
Anyway…leap years. Teachers are lucky here – we have a contract that specifies how many days a year we actually work, not how many days holiday we get. I worked yesterday, but I do have one more day of holiday than usual this year. (Like I don’t get enough holiday to sart with!)
Hi there! Thanks for the comment! I’ll have to check on your blog now and counter-stalk you!
Don’t talk to me about teachers – more bloody holidays than Thomsons!
Flippin ‘eck. I’ll have to watch me language now!
Get any gloves this year, mum?
No, they all said YES!!!!!!!! ha ha.